The Glass House: Chapter Fourteen
Jun. 16th, 2008 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfanficsTitle: The Glass House
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderfulrana_narsilion <3
Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig, Hamish/Andy (after a fashion. XD)
Word Count: 5,936
Chapter: 14/28 [Previous]
Warnings: language, Adam being vague, and far too adorable Hamish/Andy. :P
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: The rescue attempt is made, though Adam finds himself a little worse for wear, and Andy and Ruby finally arrive at the safe haven, leaving Hamish and Andy to have their so-sweet-it'll-kill-you reunion. :P
Chapter Fourteen
Adam opened his eyes to find himself in another room. It was dark. He couldn’t really hear anything. Everything ached. He seemed to be lying on his side. His wings felt odd. He tried to reach a hand around to feel them, but found his arms wouldn’t move and that they were locked together. It took a lot of effort to lift his head to look at his hands, but his eyes wouldn’t focus, and all he could determine was that they must be bound with something. They felt kinda numb, but then everything felt torn between aching pain or numbness, so he wasn’t really sure what had happened to him. He let his head fall back onto whatever he was lying on, exhausted. He thought he heard the door open, but didn’t bother looking to see. His head felt far too sore and heavy to bother. Whatever they’d done to him, it felt worse than a hangover. Then someone was doing something with his hands. He couldn’t tell what. He tried to speak, but his voice refused.
“Shh, be quiet, sir. If you’re to fly out of your cage, you need to be quiet,” said a small voice.
Adam managed a groan, not sure what the voice meant. The voice seemed to be whispering harshly. Where the hell was he? Why did he feel like he’d been run over by a truck?
“Please, don’t make any sound. Do you think you can walk?” the voice said.
Adam had no idea. He didn’t think so. He couldn’t even see the person who the voice belonged to. Then something freezing cold ran up his arm, hitting his brain hard, and suddenly, things got louder, as if someone had just taken plugs out of his ears. His head ached at the sudden increase in noise. He shut his eyes tight, trying to will the pain away. He tried to speak again, and was surprised to find his voice behaving itself.
“Do I look like - I’m in any - fit state - to walk?” Adam heard himself whispering, the words not coming out quite as smoothly as he’d hoped.
“You’ll feel better in a few minutes. They drugged you badly. Do you remember where you are?” the voice said.
“Room. Dark. Pain,” was all Adam could remember.
“Shit. They must’ve given you that new stuff. I’m not sure my antidote will work. I’ll have to get you carried out of here. Hang in there,” the voice said.
Adam vagued out, not really listening to the voice hurriedly talking to itself, or to someone else, it was hard to tell. Then there were hands, and they were rolling him onto something hard, and then he was plunged into darkness again. He was vaguely aware of movement, that he was being moved somewhere, but his mind was too unfocussed to concentrate on it. He may have heard other voices around him, outside, but he couldn’t tell. Everything sounded muffled. Then they were lifting him onto something else, and then he was moving faster, or so he thought. Maybe he was in the back of a truck. It quite possibly sounded like a truck, not that Adam could tell. Suddenly, there was light all around him and he looked up and thought he saw a face staring down at him. He wasn’t sure. He still couldn’t focus on it properly.
“W-Where are-”
The face pressed a finger against Adam’s lips, telling him to be silent.
“They think we’re taking the prisoners to be executed. They think you’re still in your cell. We had do to this. We’re all fucking sick of this. We just want the fighting to stop. We want our country back, just like you do. There are enough of us to help boost your numbers, if you want our help. We can get you better weapons and we have access to areas you’d have a hard time getting into. But that’s all for later. Where are your people?” the face said. Adam thought it was the same voice as before, but he couldn’t tell.
“H-haven, sector-sector something. Warehouse.” Adam could normally remember where the haven was, but his brain was stubbornly refusing to find the information for him. He could see it in his mind, but he couldn’t remember where it was.
“Most likely in the old part of town, probably somewhere we don’t go. See if there’s a large abandoned warehouse in the outer city. Check the restricted areas first,” the face said, apparently talking to someone else. “Now, let me see if you can’t help me here,” the face said to Adam, touching two fingers to Adam’s forehead.
Adam gasped at the sudden burning pain in his head, closing his eyes tight. He felt blinded. In his mind, a probe of red-tinged light was coming towards him, weaving its way around his mind. It behaved as if it was searching for something. His mind was suddenly stuck on the haven, it filled his mind’s vision, as the light probed him to remember. His brain ached again, his temples throbbing, his third eye felt as if it was going to explode.
“Restricted area 6. Formerly sector 17. Down by the flour mills. Used to be one of our buildings. Tell Fitzy to get moving. We need to head west,” the face said.
And suddenly the burning pain was gone as the face removed the fingers from him. Adam’s head fall back against whatever it was he was in, headache worse than before. Then he was in darkness again.
The caravan of army trucks made their way through the city until there was a sudden lurch and the truck Adam was in came to a halt. He knew this because he bumped his head on whatever it was behind him as the truck stopped. He thought he heard yelling, or some sort of commotion outside, before loud thumping. Someone was getting onto the back of the truck with him, or something. Why were they picking up someone? Adam had little time to contemplate this when there was bright light again and two faces peering down at him. Then there were hands grabbing his face, pulling him up, and then – a kiss? Who was this person? Adam was too tired to work anything out further. Then the person who’d kissed him hugged him tight, and Adam thought he should know who this was, but he couldn’t think of anyone then.
“What’s wrong with him? Is he alright?” another voice said. Adam thought he should recognise it, and it did seem familiar. He couldn’t work out who it belonged to though.
“They drugged him with this new stuff. Knocks you out real bad. I had an antidote to the other drugs they use, but not this one. The only thing we can do is let him sleep it off and hope he’ll be alright when he gets over it. I didn’t have time to look over the test results before this one was being used on prisoners. I have no idea what kind of side effects it’ll have. I do know it was designed specifically for you guys, and that in itself scares me. I don’t know how long it’s supposed to last. I’m scared for him. He doesn’t look like he’s improved at all since I gave him the antidote. How far are we from the safe haven?” said the face, presumably the same face that had been there before.
“Not far. Good thing you caught us now. We were just on our way over to break everyone free,” the second face said.
“You’d have been too late. The general ordered this done very quickly. He was expecting you. We had to get you all out of here. We got as many as we could before we were discovered. Then they started shooting. We had to leave the rest and save the ones we could. The other survivors are in the other trucks. Some were drugged, but they didn’t get the new stuff like Adam did, so they’ll be fine. But we need to get moving. I don’t know how long it’ll be before they track us down. I want us hidden before then,” the face said.
“Yeah, we’d better hurry. I think I can hear the planes in the distance. Get everyone moving,” the second face said and vanished from view.
Adam was plunged into darkness again, and soon the trucks started moving again. Adam wasn’t sure how long they drove for this time, but the trucks stopped at some point and Adam felt himself being carried again. Then there was light again and he was being hauled out of whatever it was he was in and laid on what he assumed was a bed.
Then there were more faces he couldn’t focus on and more voices he didn’t recognise, even though he thought he should be able to. Someone was lying on top of him, or it felt like someone was. His whole body felt like it was made of lead anyway, and with his eyes unable or unwilling to focus on anything, there might not be anyone lying on top of him at all. But it was the voice crying into his ear that suddenly but briefly threw the weight off his mind. That voice he knew, and he knew who it belonged to.
“God, what have they done to you? I missed you so much. I was so scared they’d killed you, or – you know, did what they did to-” the voice trailed off, and Adam knew he knew that voice and who the voice was referring to.
“Hamish,” Adam forced himself to say, wanting him to know he knew he was there. He wanted to hold him back but his arms felt like they’d been tied down.
“You have to be alright. I need you to be alright,” Hamish whispered, giving his neck soft kisses. He was so relieved to have him back.
“Hamish, I-” Adam couldn’t make any other words come out.
“Shh, it’ll be alright, I promise,” Hamish whispered.
Adam used all his strength to raise an arm, resting his hand in the small of Hamish’s back. It felt good to touch him. It felt like things were going to be alright. As much as he fought to remain conscious, he found himself slipping into unconsciousness again, Hamish’s voice fading away into silence. Then there was only darkness.
Adam found himself standing in total blackness. Nothing seemed to be around him. He heard laughter, the sort of laughter that wasn’t happy laughter. Sinister laughter. It echoed all around him. Adam turned around, trying to see where the laughter was coming from. He looked everywhere, trying to fight his panic.
Then the darkness faded as a red sun rose, revealing what looked like a battle field. Adam squinted against the light, saw the thousands of soldiers lined up, ready to attack.
Adam was utterly alone.
He looked down and saw who he assumed was Sepulchre kneeling on the ground, a foot chained to a stake plunged into the earth.
Adam noticed a small group break away from the main regiments and march over to Seb. Adam instinctively reached for his weapons, but found himself unarmed. All he had were his bare hands. But there were at least 12 of them marching towards him, making a tight circle around him. There was no way he could fight off all 12 of them on his own.
“Seb, come on Seb, get up. We have to get away from here,” Adam said, kneeling down to grab the stake holding Seb’s foot. He was shocked to find his fingers slid right through it.
Adam backed away, seeing them getting closer. Adam walked over to them, and almost yelped in fright as they walked right through him.
Then Seb was surrounded and the soldiers formed a tight circle around him. Adam could tell exactly what they were doing, and he didn’t want to stay and watch, but what could he do? He waked over to the soldiers again and passed through them, peering over one’s shoulder to watch, already sickened.
Seb’s hands were pulled behind his back harshly, there were hands and bodies everywhere, and then the pain came. They were beating him, using the butts of their rifles, their boots, their fists, whatever could reach. They were pulling on his wings, hitting them, breaking the delicate bones, sending pain shooting right into his back. Before Adam could turn away, they were hacking his wings off. Adam’s screams were lost in the soldiers’ laughter. And then Seb looked up, straight up, eyes boring into Adam’s, but it wasn’t Seb staring back at him, it was himself. That was Adam’s face twisted in agony, his eyes pleading for death.
Adam recoiled in shock, wanting to be sick. He found himself feeling dizzy, and he was unconscious before he hit the ground, spiralling into darkness again.
Hamish glanced up at Adam when he felt him shudder, hoping he was waking up, but nothing had changed. He was as unconscious as he was before. Hamish squeezed his hand tightly, scared that he would never wake up. Wil glanced over at Hamish, knowing he was just as scared as he was.
“He has to wake up. He just has to. He can’t leave me now,” Hamish whispered, lifting Adam’s hand up to kiss it softly.
“He’ll wake. He’d better. I won’t lose him too. I couldn’t save Seb, but fucked if I won’t save Adam. I won’t let him die. Not now. Not after everything we’ve been through,” Wil said.
Hamish cringed at the determination in Wil’s voice. He knew that being human, without wings, he would always be apart from Adam. It was just one aspect that he would never understand. He had grown to accept this over the time they’d known each other, but it still hurt to acknowledge that Wil, Tim, hell even Craig, all shared something with Adam he would never be able to share. They bonded in a way he would never experience.
“I know you love him, Wil. Adam thinks I don’t know, but I do,” Hamish murmured.
“Everyone fucking loves him, Hamish. Don’t you get it? Everyone fucking loves him. He has to wake up because there’s no one else here that commands the respect of every single person here like he does, not even Julian, and we’ll be annihilated without him. We need him more than he realises,” Wil said, determined to keep his emotions in check.
“I… didn’t mean like that. I meant-”
“Leave it, Hamish. Just – forget about it. Just know that whatever rumours you’ve heard, he loves you. Believe me. He would die for you moreso than for anyone else here. Don’t you ever doubt his loyalty to you. Ever. I’d give anything to be loved that much by someone. Consider yourself blessed to be granted such a thing in a world that’s so full of hate,” Wil said.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or-”
“Leave it. Cherish what you have now. Nothing in this world is guaranteed. If there’s only piece of decent advice I give you, it’s prepare yourself in case he’s taken from you. This is our final battle, our last chance to be free. If we fail, there won’t be a next time. There won’t be any of us left to fight. So just – just be careful. There is no such thing as a bloodless war. All we can do is minimise the death count. Everything else is in the hands of the Gods,” Wil said.
“You still believe in gods? What’s the point? Where are they? Everything in my life leads me to believe they’ve abandoned us, and I wouldn’t blame them if they had,” Hamish said, voice full of spite.
“Seb was all I needed to know the Gods are still with us,” Wil murmured.
“Seb is not a god, as much as he was treated like one. He was human like us,” Hamish said.
“Yeah, he was human, I won’t deny that. But he taught me to see hope in everything, even if everything is covered in darkness. That’s all I needed to know. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a God. Christ, you don’t realise just how revered he was. He was a fucking legend to us growing up. He was the one lone voice speaking out, the only one who cared. Hell, our parents knew about him. He’s the one figure in the history of fullwings that won’t go away. He’s always there. It’s as if he really is a God. How else could be have lived and survived for so long? Nothing else makes sense. Somehow, a God decided to take care of us. I don’t know how or why or anything, just that it’s the only explanation that makes sense,” Wil said.
“I never heard anything about him growing up, nothing but vague rumours. We weren’t supposed to know anything about you apart from the fact that you were not to be trusted and that you weren’t human and that you were all vicious killers waiting to kill us humans off and take over the country. Heh, they weren’t half wrong, were they?” Hamish said with a repressed laugh.
“But still not half right either. Fear mongering has done nothing to solve matters, just divide us further,” Wil said.
“I know. It sucks. Adam’s going to die, isn’t he? I mean, not now, but like, you know-”
“I don’t know. Maybe he is. Maybe he won’t. Maybe it’ll be me or Craig. Maybe it’ll be you. What happens, happens,” Wil said.
“Hmm. I just wish he’d wake up,” Hamish said.
“Me too. We need him. We’re falling apart without him,” Wil said, grasping Adam’s other hand and squeezing it between his hands.
“Melodramatic much? He’s gone one day and you’re panicking already?” Tim said, approaching the bed to check on them.
“Oh, Tim, how long have you been there?” Wil said, turning to face him.
“Long enough. He’ll be alright, you know. He’s strong. He’s not going to give up, not when there’s so much work to do,” Tim said, resting a hand on Wil’s shoulder.
“He’d better not. No one cages me like he does,” Wil said, reaching up to rest a hand on Tim's.
Hamish remained silent, not wanting to get bitching about Wil's implied words now. Not when Adam's lying there helpless. Hamish crawled onto the bed and curled up next to Adam, careful not to disturb him. Adam shuddered again in his sleep and Hamish wondered what on earth he was dreaming about.
Ruby and Andy rode through the night. Much as Ruby wanted them to arrive before dawn, hold-ups and other raids on suburbs slowed them down, forcing them to stop and hide until the danger passed. It just made Andy even more anxious. By the time they finally arrived at the safe haven, the sun was up, and death stunk in the air.
Ruby and Andy were stopped by guards, making sure no one unwelcomed was let into the camp. It was a huge warehouse complex, one that looked run down and disused. It was a very clever guise for a safe haven. There were no indications of habitation anywhere in sight. Andy was impressed. He'd never been to the safe havens before. He wasn't expecting them to be so… perfectly disguised.
“Who are you and what's your business here?” one of the guards said, making sure his weapon was visible.
“I'm Ruby, and this is – what's your name again?” Ruby said.
“Andy Lee. I was one of the spies in the Army for you, but I was forced out and into hiding. I'm looking for Hamish,” Andy said.
“You're not expected, but come in anyway. Julian would like a word,” the guard said after consulting with his superiors over his radio.
Dismounting, Ruby and Andy followed one of the guards into the warehouse while a second dealt with their horses. They were met by Chris, who had been sent by Julian to escort them.
“Well, you two chose the right moment to turn up, didn't you?” Chris said after dismissing the guard.
“What'd we miss? All we know is that they've begun rounding up halfwings and taking them away to prison camps,” Andy said.
“You serious? Have they really started doing that?” Chris said.
“I saw it with my own eyes. We helped the wounded left behind after the Army was done with them. What's been going on here then?” Andy said.
“They raided the Glass House. Destroyed it completely. We had a lot of people either killed or arrested. Somehow, we managed to get most of those arrested back here, but it's been chaos. So many injured to deal with, and the deaths are excruciatingly painful. We'd better get going. Julian should hear about the raids on the halfwings,” Chris said.
“Right. Can you get Hamish for me? I need to know he's alright. I've missed him terribly,” Andy said.
“I'll take you through to Julian, then go tell Hamish you're here,” Chris said.
“Thanks, mate,” Andy said.
Chris leads them down to Julian's office, leaving them to update Julian on the situation outside, before heading back to find Hamish.
Chris finds him still sitting by Adam's side, clutching his hand tightly. Wil's with him as well. Adam still hasn't woken. Chris almost doesn't want to disturb their vigil, but he had promised he'd tell Hamish that Andy was here.
“Hamish, mate, you got a moment?” Chris said, stepping into the room.
“Uh, sure. Can't it wait? I don't want to leave him,” Hamish said, unable to remove his gaze from Adam's still figure.
“Andy's here. He wanted me to let you know he'd arrived. He's in with Julian at the moment,” Chris said.
Hamish turned to look at Chris, not quite believing what he'd just said. “Andy's here? Why? What's he doing here?”
“I don't know the full story, Ham. You'll have to go ask him,” Chris said.
“Sorry, Adam, but Andy's here! Call me if he wakes, alright, Wil?” Hamish said as he got to his feet, reluctantly leaving Adam behind. “Take me to him, Chris.”
Hamish could barely contain his excitement. Andy was here! Things would be alright now. Chris opened the door for him and Hamish bounded into Julian’s office to embrace his best friend. All Andy heard was his name being called before Hamish flung himself at him, hugging him tightly.
“You’re alive! You’re fucking alive! Christ, I’ve missed you so much,” Hamish said.
“Yeah, I’m here, mate. It’ll be alright. I’ve missed you too. I didn’t even know if you were alright. I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” Andy said, hugging him back.
“I was with Adam. Of course I was gonna be alright, silly,” Hamish said, pulling back to look at his face.
“I didn’t know that, did I? I got to your apartment, after you’d left, and had no idea what had happened. There were two dead cops, and a warrant out for your arrest. God help me, I panicked. I was warned to keep my distance because we were mates. That’s what made me flee and look for you. I decided I’d rather be with you than hauled in for interrogation,” Andy said.
“I approve of your decision. I was scared I’d never see you again, and then Adam… Christ, so glad you’re here,” Hamish said, hugging Andy again.
“Yeah, Julian was just telling me about Adam and the raid. Is he going to be alright?” Andy said.
“I dunno, he’s not awake yet. They drugged him badly, Andy. I don’t know if he’s going to wake up again,” Hamish said, panic barely audible in his voice.
“Shh, he’ll wake up. He won’t go without you. It’ll be alright. You’ll see,” Andy said, rubbing his back in a bid to comfort him.
“Hamish, much as I don’t want to interrupt your reunion, we were in the middle of a meeting, you know. You’re welcome to stay, but we do have a lot to discuss,” Julian said, interrupting them.
“Christ, sorry Jules. Want me to go?” Hamish said, half-pulling away from Andy.
“No, you can stay if you like. I’m assuming Wil’s staying with Adam still. We just need to get on with things,” Julian said.
“Wil’s with Adam, yes. I might stay for a while. Don’t feel ready to leave him yet,” Hamish said, taking Andy’s hand in his.
“Do you need me still? Because I would like to return to my people,” Ruby said, getting to her feet.
“I strongly suggest you stay here, but if you must go, you’re free to go. Unless there’s something important you need to tell me, then you’re welcome to leave. Ignore what Wil says. You and your people will always be welcome here if you need shelter. You’ve served us well in the past, and we’re grateful. If you ever need us, call us,” Julian said.
“At least you are a civil human being. I will go. Andy can tell you everything you need to know. I’ve been gone long enough. Thank you for the offer,” Ruby said.
“Safe journey, Ruby,” Julian said.
Ruby nodded to Julian as she left, leaving them behind. She knew Julian knew that she’d flee anyway, even if she was forced to stay here. He understood her. Wil had tried to keep her captive, but he hadn’t succeeded. Wil didn’t understand gypsies. Gypsies always fly away. One can never contain them.
Andy gazed after her as she left, realising he knew as much about her as when he’d first met her. He wondered if she’d take his horse with her as well. Hamish grabbed his arm gently to bring his attention back to their meeting.
“She’s a good woman,” Andy said.
“Yeah, she is. I’ve known her for many years. Good people,” Julian said.
“Well, I’m officially dead now. It feels less weird than I thought it would,” Andy said.
“We’ll get you new ID. If we’d known you were coming, we’d have it ready for you, but you did arrive out of nowhere. I suppose there wasn’t any chance to contact us before you fled, was there?” Julian said.
“I was never allowed to know that stuff in case I was suspected and interrogated. That’s why Ruby took me here. I didn’t know where to go to find you, and with Hamish gone, I was on my own,” Andy said.
“So tell me about what you saw. Did you know of any plans to start rounding up halfwings?” Julian said.
“I only knew of it in whispers, rumours, that sort of thing. It had been around for years, but no one seriously believed they’d actually ever act on it. It was deemed too politically damaging to go rounding up half the population and either killing them or working them to death. It was my unit that I saw that first time. My comrades. Men I’d served with for years. There they were, rounding up halfwings and shoving them in the back of trucks. They fired on the people as they left to stop them following. I’ve never felt so ashamed to be a soldier in my life. Ruby and I went to look after the injured. We spent as much time as we could, mobilising the people and treating the injured, until they could fend for themselves. There was nothing else to do. The Army went from suburb to suburb, gathering up men, women and children and terrorising those left behind. I’m sure this is only the beginning. There were reports of the Army finally paying attention to all the restricted zones in case they housed rebels. Apparently, they’re gunning them all to the ground in a bid to wipe out the rebellion before it even has a chance to mobilise. I suspect you’ll be having a visit soon enough, but I can’t say when. I don’t even know how much they know about you guys. But be prepared. It might be wise to look into somewhere to flee, should you be forced to run from here,” Andy said.
“So that was the shelling we heard a couple of nights ago. I wondered what that was. That isn’t good news at all. Anything else you can tell us?” Julian said.
“That’s about it. I don’t know their plan of attack. I didn’t know they were going to start attacking restricted zones until I heard it from some of the people we were helping. They could attack now, or tomorrow, or maybe even in a week’s time. I just don’t know,” Andy said.
“I’ll get onto it right away. I think that’s all for now. I’ve got too many things to do. Thanks for the information, Andy. I doubt we’d know about it if you hadn’t come here. You can go catch up with Hamish now,” Julian said.
“Glad to be of service. I’m ready and willing to fight beside you, should you need me,” Andy said, getting to his feet.
“Thanks. We need all the men we can get,” Julian said.
“Come on, Andy. Let’s get out of here,” Hamish said, tugging on Andy’s wrist.
“Alright, alright, seeya Julian. It seems I’m needed elsewhere,” Andy said with a laugh as Hamish pulled him out of Julian’s office.
“Oh, you are never leaving my sight again,” Hamish said as he pulled Andy back towards his room.
Hamish pulled Andy down onto the couch for yet another hug. He had quite given up hope of ever seeing him again, and now that he was back in his arms, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to let him go. Sure, Hamish loved Adam with all his heart, but his life just wasn't complete without Andy. Hamish pinned him down as he hugged him, not wanting to let him go.
“Don't you ever leave me again, okay?” Hamish said.
“I won't, not if I can help it,” Andy said. “God, I love you. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too. Hey, did… Did your scar itch or something? Cos mine did,” Hamish said.
“On my palm? Yeah, it did tingle a bit. I thought it was just stress or something,” Andy said.
“Mine itched really badly. I wondered if it was because I was missing you or something. It made me think of you all the time it was itching,” Hamish said.
“Perhaps we shared more than just our blood that afternoon,” Andy said.
“Perhaps we did. Sounds silly, doesn't it? Maybe we're both just imagining it,” Hamish said.
“Maybe we're just that close,” Andy said, meshing their fingers together as their scars met once more. He wasn't trying to be sappy, but Hamish meant the world to him. He hoped Hamish knew that.
“Whoa. Can you feel that heat as well?” Hamish said, surprised by the growing heat between their clasped palms.
“I can, yeah. Wow. You know I love you, don't you?” Andy said.
“Yeah, I know you do. I love you too. I'm quite sure I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you,” Hamish said.
“No, I mean it. I – love you. I know you love Adam, but I just… I don't know if I'll ever have another chance to tell you that, and I wanted you to know before the war comes,” Andy said.
“You love me? I never realised. You know I belong to Adam. I'm sorry,” Hamish said.
“I knew from when we were kids. But I knew you'd never be mine. Just know I love you completely, and that I would die to save your life. I've long accepted it wouldn't be reciprocated, but I thought it was time I actually told you,” Andy said.
Hamish sat up and looked down at him curiously. He wasn't sure what to say now. Now that he thought about it, he had suspected Andy was in love with someone, but somehow, he'd failed to realise it was him. He had to admit he was rather taken with Andy's admission. Suddenly, everything Andy had ever done for him seemed even more important.
“Have I freaked you out? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to,” Andy said.
“It's just… I honestly never realised you loved me that way. Have you really felt that way since we were kids?” Hamish said.
“I have, yes, ever since I cut those scars into our hands. In a way, it's a bond that surpasses love. You're everything to me. I can't live without you. But I don't feel jealous because you're with Adam, because I know you two love each other, and Adam would protect you with his life. That brings me comfort,” Andy said.
“How can you love me that much yet not be jealous?” Hamish said.
“Because I care more about you than I do about myself, and I know you're well loved and protected,” Andy said.
“So glad you came back. I really hated calling you like that, you know. Kinda glad you didn't answer though. I really would have fallen to pieces then and that wouldn't have been pretty,” Hamish said.
“Nah, I was too drunk to answer it in time so I stayed there listening to it. I never deleted it. I couldn't bring myself to delete it. I kept the tape in case my flat was searched. I was the one who fell to pieces. I sat there replaying that message, bawling my eyes out. I didn't want to let you go,” Andy said.
“Aww, that's so sweet. See, you do have a feminine side after all. I thought you did,” Hamish said, poking Andy in the ribs.
“Hey! I was really upset! I thought I'd never see you again,” Andy said, trying to reach up to tickle Hamish.
Hamish squirmed and tried to tickle back. Andy got the better of him and soon they were both rolling on the floor together, laughing as Andy tickled him. And when Andy caught his lips in a kiss, Hamish's resistance lasted mere nanoseconds before he gave in to Andy. Andy had Hamish pinned to the floor, not sure where his sudden urge to kiss him had come from. Hamish's lack of resistance spurred him on.
Soon, they lay there in each other's arms, exchanging soft kisses and gentle caresses, drowning in each other's company. Andy tenderly brushed some hair out of Hamish's eyes.
“I'm so glad you're here,” Hamish said again, lost for any other words to say to him.
“Me too. Sorry for the kisses. I hope you're not offended or anything,” Andy said.
“Nah, it's okay. If it was anyone else, I'd complain, but you, you can kiss me as much as you like. You're more than a friend, or a lover or anything else. Therefore you get special priviledges,” Hamish said with a wide grin.
“Does that make me more special than Adam then?” Andy said.
“As much as it pains me to say so, but yes. Because I can't live without you. I need you in a way I don't need Adam,” Hamish said, feeling a little regret for saying such things about his love, but he wouldn't lie to Andy.
Andy smile and kissed Hamish again, slower and lingering, a hand wrapping around behind Hamish's head and burying in his hair. Hamish holds him close, more content than he'd ever been before in his life. Now that Andy was here, everything would be fine.
Author: Sashataakheru
Beta: The wonderful
rana_narsilion <3Fandom: The Chaser/AusComedy RPS
Starring: Adam Hills, Sepulchre (OC), Wil Anderson, Hamish Blake, Craig Reucassel, Tim Minchin, Julian Morrow, Chas Licciardello, Charles Firth, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Caleb (OC), Dr Rachel Hardy (OC), Antoinette Laurent (OC), Dr Samantha Reddings (OC), Dominic Knight, Shane Cubis, Gregor Stronach, Tim Brunero, Andy Lee
Pairings: Andrew/Chris; Adam/Hamish; Jules/Chas; Rachel/Antoinette(/Samantha); Adam/Seb; Adam/Wil; Craig/Caleb; Adam/Wil/Tim; Andrew/Craig, Wil/Chas; implied Tim/Craig, Hamish/Andy (after a fashion. XD)
Word Count: 5,936
Chapter: 14/28 [Previous]
Warnings: language, Adam being vague, and far too adorable Hamish/Andy. :P
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: I don’t know them, not associated with them, just a slashy fangirl admirer with a very active imagination.
Author’s Notes: FYI, fullwing = winged human capable of flight. Halfwing = fullwing/human halfbreed, usually unable to fly, sometimes have vestigial wings, but can be removed to pass as human and not as winged.
Summary: The rescue attempt is made, though Adam finds himself a little worse for wear, and Andy and Ruby finally arrive at the safe haven, leaving Hamish and Andy to have their so-sweet-it'll-kill-you reunion. :P
Chapter Fourteen
Adam opened his eyes to find himself in another room. It was dark. He couldn’t really hear anything. Everything ached. He seemed to be lying on his side. His wings felt odd. He tried to reach a hand around to feel them, but found his arms wouldn’t move and that they were locked together. It took a lot of effort to lift his head to look at his hands, but his eyes wouldn’t focus, and all he could determine was that they must be bound with something. They felt kinda numb, but then everything felt torn between aching pain or numbness, so he wasn’t really sure what had happened to him. He let his head fall back onto whatever he was lying on, exhausted. He thought he heard the door open, but didn’t bother looking to see. His head felt far too sore and heavy to bother. Whatever they’d done to him, it felt worse than a hangover. Then someone was doing something with his hands. He couldn’t tell what. He tried to speak, but his voice refused.
“Shh, be quiet, sir. If you’re to fly out of your cage, you need to be quiet,” said a small voice.
Adam managed a groan, not sure what the voice meant. The voice seemed to be whispering harshly. Where the hell was he? Why did he feel like he’d been run over by a truck?
“Please, don’t make any sound. Do you think you can walk?” the voice said.
Adam had no idea. He didn’t think so. He couldn’t even see the person who the voice belonged to. Then something freezing cold ran up his arm, hitting his brain hard, and suddenly, things got louder, as if someone had just taken plugs out of his ears. His head ached at the sudden increase in noise. He shut his eyes tight, trying to will the pain away. He tried to speak again, and was surprised to find his voice behaving itself.
“Do I look like - I’m in any - fit state - to walk?” Adam heard himself whispering, the words not coming out quite as smoothly as he’d hoped.
“You’ll feel better in a few minutes. They drugged you badly. Do you remember where you are?” the voice said.
“Room. Dark. Pain,” was all Adam could remember.
“Shit. They must’ve given you that new stuff. I’m not sure my antidote will work. I’ll have to get you carried out of here. Hang in there,” the voice said.
Adam vagued out, not really listening to the voice hurriedly talking to itself, or to someone else, it was hard to tell. Then there were hands, and they were rolling him onto something hard, and then he was plunged into darkness again. He was vaguely aware of movement, that he was being moved somewhere, but his mind was too unfocussed to concentrate on it. He may have heard other voices around him, outside, but he couldn’t tell. Everything sounded muffled. Then they were lifting him onto something else, and then he was moving faster, or so he thought. Maybe he was in the back of a truck. It quite possibly sounded like a truck, not that Adam could tell. Suddenly, there was light all around him and he looked up and thought he saw a face staring down at him. He wasn’t sure. He still couldn’t focus on it properly.
“W-Where are-”
The face pressed a finger against Adam’s lips, telling him to be silent.
“They think we’re taking the prisoners to be executed. They think you’re still in your cell. We had do to this. We’re all fucking sick of this. We just want the fighting to stop. We want our country back, just like you do. There are enough of us to help boost your numbers, if you want our help. We can get you better weapons and we have access to areas you’d have a hard time getting into. But that’s all for later. Where are your people?” the face said. Adam thought it was the same voice as before, but he couldn’t tell.
“H-haven, sector-sector something. Warehouse.” Adam could normally remember where the haven was, but his brain was stubbornly refusing to find the information for him. He could see it in his mind, but he couldn’t remember where it was.
“Most likely in the old part of town, probably somewhere we don’t go. See if there’s a large abandoned warehouse in the outer city. Check the restricted areas first,” the face said, apparently talking to someone else. “Now, let me see if you can’t help me here,” the face said to Adam, touching two fingers to Adam’s forehead.
Adam gasped at the sudden burning pain in his head, closing his eyes tight. He felt blinded. In his mind, a probe of red-tinged light was coming towards him, weaving its way around his mind. It behaved as if it was searching for something. His mind was suddenly stuck on the haven, it filled his mind’s vision, as the light probed him to remember. His brain ached again, his temples throbbing, his third eye felt as if it was going to explode.
“Restricted area 6. Formerly sector 17. Down by the flour mills. Used to be one of our buildings. Tell Fitzy to get moving. We need to head west,” the face said.
And suddenly the burning pain was gone as the face removed the fingers from him. Adam’s head fall back against whatever it was he was in, headache worse than before. Then he was in darkness again.
The caravan of army trucks made their way through the city until there was a sudden lurch and the truck Adam was in came to a halt. He knew this because he bumped his head on whatever it was behind him as the truck stopped. He thought he heard yelling, or some sort of commotion outside, before loud thumping. Someone was getting onto the back of the truck with him, or something. Why were they picking up someone? Adam had little time to contemplate this when there was bright light again and two faces peering down at him. Then there were hands grabbing his face, pulling him up, and then – a kiss? Who was this person? Adam was too tired to work anything out further. Then the person who’d kissed him hugged him tight, and Adam thought he should know who this was, but he couldn’t think of anyone then.
“What’s wrong with him? Is he alright?” another voice said. Adam thought he should recognise it, and it did seem familiar. He couldn’t work out who it belonged to though.
“They drugged him with this new stuff. Knocks you out real bad. I had an antidote to the other drugs they use, but not this one. The only thing we can do is let him sleep it off and hope he’ll be alright when he gets over it. I didn’t have time to look over the test results before this one was being used on prisoners. I have no idea what kind of side effects it’ll have. I do know it was designed specifically for you guys, and that in itself scares me. I don’t know how long it’s supposed to last. I’m scared for him. He doesn’t look like he’s improved at all since I gave him the antidote. How far are we from the safe haven?” said the face, presumably the same face that had been there before.
“Not far. Good thing you caught us now. We were just on our way over to break everyone free,” the second face said.
“You’d have been too late. The general ordered this done very quickly. He was expecting you. We had to get you all out of here. We got as many as we could before we were discovered. Then they started shooting. We had to leave the rest and save the ones we could. The other survivors are in the other trucks. Some were drugged, but they didn’t get the new stuff like Adam did, so they’ll be fine. But we need to get moving. I don’t know how long it’ll be before they track us down. I want us hidden before then,” the face said.
“Yeah, we’d better hurry. I think I can hear the planes in the distance. Get everyone moving,” the second face said and vanished from view.
Adam was plunged into darkness again, and soon the trucks started moving again. Adam wasn’t sure how long they drove for this time, but the trucks stopped at some point and Adam felt himself being carried again. Then there was light again and he was being hauled out of whatever it was he was in and laid on what he assumed was a bed.
Then there were more faces he couldn’t focus on and more voices he didn’t recognise, even though he thought he should be able to. Someone was lying on top of him, or it felt like someone was. His whole body felt like it was made of lead anyway, and with his eyes unable or unwilling to focus on anything, there might not be anyone lying on top of him at all. But it was the voice crying into his ear that suddenly but briefly threw the weight off his mind. That voice he knew, and he knew who it belonged to.
“God, what have they done to you? I missed you so much. I was so scared they’d killed you, or – you know, did what they did to-” the voice trailed off, and Adam knew he knew that voice and who the voice was referring to.
“Hamish,” Adam forced himself to say, wanting him to know he knew he was there. He wanted to hold him back but his arms felt like they’d been tied down.
“You have to be alright. I need you to be alright,” Hamish whispered, giving his neck soft kisses. He was so relieved to have him back.
“Hamish, I-” Adam couldn’t make any other words come out.
“Shh, it’ll be alright, I promise,” Hamish whispered.
Adam used all his strength to raise an arm, resting his hand in the small of Hamish’s back. It felt good to touch him. It felt like things were going to be alright. As much as he fought to remain conscious, he found himself slipping into unconsciousness again, Hamish’s voice fading away into silence. Then there was only darkness.
Adam found himself standing in total blackness. Nothing seemed to be around him. He heard laughter, the sort of laughter that wasn’t happy laughter. Sinister laughter. It echoed all around him. Adam turned around, trying to see where the laughter was coming from. He looked everywhere, trying to fight his panic.
Then the darkness faded as a red sun rose, revealing what looked like a battle field. Adam squinted against the light, saw the thousands of soldiers lined up, ready to attack.
Adam was utterly alone.
He looked down and saw who he assumed was Sepulchre kneeling on the ground, a foot chained to a stake plunged into the earth.
Adam noticed a small group break away from the main regiments and march over to Seb. Adam instinctively reached for his weapons, but found himself unarmed. All he had were his bare hands. But there were at least 12 of them marching towards him, making a tight circle around him. There was no way he could fight off all 12 of them on his own.
“Seb, come on Seb, get up. We have to get away from here,” Adam said, kneeling down to grab the stake holding Seb’s foot. He was shocked to find his fingers slid right through it.
Adam backed away, seeing them getting closer. Adam walked over to them, and almost yelped in fright as they walked right through him.
Then Seb was surrounded and the soldiers formed a tight circle around him. Adam could tell exactly what they were doing, and he didn’t want to stay and watch, but what could he do? He waked over to the soldiers again and passed through them, peering over one’s shoulder to watch, already sickened.
Seb’s hands were pulled behind his back harshly, there were hands and bodies everywhere, and then the pain came. They were beating him, using the butts of their rifles, their boots, their fists, whatever could reach. They were pulling on his wings, hitting them, breaking the delicate bones, sending pain shooting right into his back. Before Adam could turn away, they were hacking his wings off. Adam’s screams were lost in the soldiers’ laughter. And then Seb looked up, straight up, eyes boring into Adam’s, but it wasn’t Seb staring back at him, it was himself. That was Adam’s face twisted in agony, his eyes pleading for death.
Adam recoiled in shock, wanting to be sick. He found himself feeling dizzy, and he was unconscious before he hit the ground, spiralling into darkness again.
Hamish glanced up at Adam when he felt him shudder, hoping he was waking up, but nothing had changed. He was as unconscious as he was before. Hamish squeezed his hand tightly, scared that he would never wake up. Wil glanced over at Hamish, knowing he was just as scared as he was.
“He has to wake up. He just has to. He can’t leave me now,” Hamish whispered, lifting Adam’s hand up to kiss it softly.
“He’ll wake. He’d better. I won’t lose him too. I couldn’t save Seb, but fucked if I won’t save Adam. I won’t let him die. Not now. Not after everything we’ve been through,” Wil said.
Hamish cringed at the determination in Wil’s voice. He knew that being human, without wings, he would always be apart from Adam. It was just one aspect that he would never understand. He had grown to accept this over the time they’d known each other, but it still hurt to acknowledge that Wil, Tim, hell even Craig, all shared something with Adam he would never be able to share. They bonded in a way he would never experience.
“I know you love him, Wil. Adam thinks I don’t know, but I do,” Hamish murmured.
“Everyone fucking loves him, Hamish. Don’t you get it? Everyone fucking loves him. He has to wake up because there’s no one else here that commands the respect of every single person here like he does, not even Julian, and we’ll be annihilated without him. We need him more than he realises,” Wil said, determined to keep his emotions in check.
“I… didn’t mean like that. I meant-”
“Leave it, Hamish. Just – forget about it. Just know that whatever rumours you’ve heard, he loves you. Believe me. He would die for you moreso than for anyone else here. Don’t you ever doubt his loyalty to you. Ever. I’d give anything to be loved that much by someone. Consider yourself blessed to be granted such a thing in a world that’s so full of hate,” Wil said.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or-”
“Leave it. Cherish what you have now. Nothing in this world is guaranteed. If there’s only piece of decent advice I give you, it’s prepare yourself in case he’s taken from you. This is our final battle, our last chance to be free. If we fail, there won’t be a next time. There won’t be any of us left to fight. So just – just be careful. There is no such thing as a bloodless war. All we can do is minimise the death count. Everything else is in the hands of the Gods,” Wil said.
“You still believe in gods? What’s the point? Where are they? Everything in my life leads me to believe they’ve abandoned us, and I wouldn’t blame them if they had,” Hamish said, voice full of spite.
“Seb was all I needed to know the Gods are still with us,” Wil murmured.
“Seb is not a god, as much as he was treated like one. He was human like us,” Hamish said.
“Yeah, he was human, I won’t deny that. But he taught me to see hope in everything, even if everything is covered in darkness. That’s all I needed to know. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a God. Christ, you don’t realise just how revered he was. He was a fucking legend to us growing up. He was the one lone voice speaking out, the only one who cared. Hell, our parents knew about him. He’s the one figure in the history of fullwings that won’t go away. He’s always there. It’s as if he really is a God. How else could be have lived and survived for so long? Nothing else makes sense. Somehow, a God decided to take care of us. I don’t know how or why or anything, just that it’s the only explanation that makes sense,” Wil said.
“I never heard anything about him growing up, nothing but vague rumours. We weren’t supposed to know anything about you apart from the fact that you were not to be trusted and that you weren’t human and that you were all vicious killers waiting to kill us humans off and take over the country. Heh, they weren’t half wrong, were they?” Hamish said with a repressed laugh.
“But still not half right either. Fear mongering has done nothing to solve matters, just divide us further,” Wil said.
“I know. It sucks. Adam’s going to die, isn’t he? I mean, not now, but like, you know-”
“I don’t know. Maybe he is. Maybe he won’t. Maybe it’ll be me or Craig. Maybe it’ll be you. What happens, happens,” Wil said.
“Hmm. I just wish he’d wake up,” Hamish said.
“Me too. We need him. We’re falling apart without him,” Wil said, grasping Adam’s other hand and squeezing it between his hands.
“Melodramatic much? He’s gone one day and you’re panicking already?” Tim said, approaching the bed to check on them.
“Oh, Tim, how long have you been there?” Wil said, turning to face him.
“Long enough. He’ll be alright, you know. He’s strong. He’s not going to give up, not when there’s so much work to do,” Tim said, resting a hand on Wil’s shoulder.
“He’d better not. No one cages me like he does,” Wil said, reaching up to rest a hand on Tim's.
Hamish remained silent, not wanting to get bitching about Wil's implied words now. Not when Adam's lying there helpless. Hamish crawled onto the bed and curled up next to Adam, careful not to disturb him. Adam shuddered again in his sleep and Hamish wondered what on earth he was dreaming about.
Ruby and Andy rode through the night. Much as Ruby wanted them to arrive before dawn, hold-ups and other raids on suburbs slowed them down, forcing them to stop and hide until the danger passed. It just made Andy even more anxious. By the time they finally arrived at the safe haven, the sun was up, and death stunk in the air.
Ruby and Andy were stopped by guards, making sure no one unwelcomed was let into the camp. It was a huge warehouse complex, one that looked run down and disused. It was a very clever guise for a safe haven. There were no indications of habitation anywhere in sight. Andy was impressed. He'd never been to the safe havens before. He wasn't expecting them to be so… perfectly disguised.
“Who are you and what's your business here?” one of the guards said, making sure his weapon was visible.
“I'm Ruby, and this is – what's your name again?” Ruby said.
“Andy Lee. I was one of the spies in the Army for you, but I was forced out and into hiding. I'm looking for Hamish,” Andy said.
“You're not expected, but come in anyway. Julian would like a word,” the guard said after consulting with his superiors over his radio.
Dismounting, Ruby and Andy followed one of the guards into the warehouse while a second dealt with their horses. They were met by Chris, who had been sent by Julian to escort them.
“Well, you two chose the right moment to turn up, didn't you?” Chris said after dismissing the guard.
“What'd we miss? All we know is that they've begun rounding up halfwings and taking them away to prison camps,” Andy said.
“You serious? Have they really started doing that?” Chris said.
“I saw it with my own eyes. We helped the wounded left behind after the Army was done with them. What's been going on here then?” Andy said.
“They raided the Glass House. Destroyed it completely. We had a lot of people either killed or arrested. Somehow, we managed to get most of those arrested back here, but it's been chaos. So many injured to deal with, and the deaths are excruciatingly painful. We'd better get going. Julian should hear about the raids on the halfwings,” Chris said.
“Right. Can you get Hamish for me? I need to know he's alright. I've missed him terribly,” Andy said.
“I'll take you through to Julian, then go tell Hamish you're here,” Chris said.
“Thanks, mate,” Andy said.
Chris leads them down to Julian's office, leaving them to update Julian on the situation outside, before heading back to find Hamish.
Chris finds him still sitting by Adam's side, clutching his hand tightly. Wil's with him as well. Adam still hasn't woken. Chris almost doesn't want to disturb their vigil, but he had promised he'd tell Hamish that Andy was here.
“Hamish, mate, you got a moment?” Chris said, stepping into the room.
“Uh, sure. Can't it wait? I don't want to leave him,” Hamish said, unable to remove his gaze from Adam's still figure.
“Andy's here. He wanted me to let you know he'd arrived. He's in with Julian at the moment,” Chris said.
Hamish turned to look at Chris, not quite believing what he'd just said. “Andy's here? Why? What's he doing here?”
“I don't know the full story, Ham. You'll have to go ask him,” Chris said.
“Sorry, Adam, but Andy's here! Call me if he wakes, alright, Wil?” Hamish said as he got to his feet, reluctantly leaving Adam behind. “Take me to him, Chris.”
Hamish could barely contain his excitement. Andy was here! Things would be alright now. Chris opened the door for him and Hamish bounded into Julian’s office to embrace his best friend. All Andy heard was his name being called before Hamish flung himself at him, hugging him tightly.
“You’re alive! You’re fucking alive! Christ, I’ve missed you so much,” Hamish said.
“Yeah, I’m here, mate. It’ll be alright. I’ve missed you too. I didn’t even know if you were alright. I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” Andy said, hugging him back.
“I was with Adam. Of course I was gonna be alright, silly,” Hamish said, pulling back to look at his face.
“I didn’t know that, did I? I got to your apartment, after you’d left, and had no idea what had happened. There were two dead cops, and a warrant out for your arrest. God help me, I panicked. I was warned to keep my distance because we were mates. That’s what made me flee and look for you. I decided I’d rather be with you than hauled in for interrogation,” Andy said.
“I approve of your decision. I was scared I’d never see you again, and then Adam… Christ, so glad you’re here,” Hamish said, hugging Andy again.
“Yeah, Julian was just telling me about Adam and the raid. Is he going to be alright?” Andy said.
“I dunno, he’s not awake yet. They drugged him badly, Andy. I don’t know if he’s going to wake up again,” Hamish said, panic barely audible in his voice.
“Shh, he’ll wake up. He won’t go without you. It’ll be alright. You’ll see,” Andy said, rubbing his back in a bid to comfort him.
“Hamish, much as I don’t want to interrupt your reunion, we were in the middle of a meeting, you know. You’re welcome to stay, but we do have a lot to discuss,” Julian said, interrupting them.
“Christ, sorry Jules. Want me to go?” Hamish said, half-pulling away from Andy.
“No, you can stay if you like. I’m assuming Wil’s staying with Adam still. We just need to get on with things,” Julian said.
“Wil’s with Adam, yes. I might stay for a while. Don’t feel ready to leave him yet,” Hamish said, taking Andy’s hand in his.
“Do you need me still? Because I would like to return to my people,” Ruby said, getting to her feet.
“I strongly suggest you stay here, but if you must go, you’re free to go. Unless there’s something important you need to tell me, then you’re welcome to leave. Ignore what Wil says. You and your people will always be welcome here if you need shelter. You’ve served us well in the past, and we’re grateful. If you ever need us, call us,” Julian said.
“At least you are a civil human being. I will go. Andy can tell you everything you need to know. I’ve been gone long enough. Thank you for the offer,” Ruby said.
“Safe journey, Ruby,” Julian said.
Ruby nodded to Julian as she left, leaving them behind. She knew Julian knew that she’d flee anyway, even if she was forced to stay here. He understood her. Wil had tried to keep her captive, but he hadn’t succeeded. Wil didn’t understand gypsies. Gypsies always fly away. One can never contain them.
Andy gazed after her as she left, realising he knew as much about her as when he’d first met her. He wondered if she’d take his horse with her as well. Hamish grabbed his arm gently to bring his attention back to their meeting.
“She’s a good woman,” Andy said.
“Yeah, she is. I’ve known her for many years. Good people,” Julian said.
“Well, I’m officially dead now. It feels less weird than I thought it would,” Andy said.
“We’ll get you new ID. If we’d known you were coming, we’d have it ready for you, but you did arrive out of nowhere. I suppose there wasn’t any chance to contact us before you fled, was there?” Julian said.
“I was never allowed to know that stuff in case I was suspected and interrogated. That’s why Ruby took me here. I didn’t know where to go to find you, and with Hamish gone, I was on my own,” Andy said.
“So tell me about what you saw. Did you know of any plans to start rounding up halfwings?” Julian said.
“I only knew of it in whispers, rumours, that sort of thing. It had been around for years, but no one seriously believed they’d actually ever act on it. It was deemed too politically damaging to go rounding up half the population and either killing them or working them to death. It was my unit that I saw that first time. My comrades. Men I’d served with for years. There they were, rounding up halfwings and shoving them in the back of trucks. They fired on the people as they left to stop them following. I’ve never felt so ashamed to be a soldier in my life. Ruby and I went to look after the injured. We spent as much time as we could, mobilising the people and treating the injured, until they could fend for themselves. There was nothing else to do. The Army went from suburb to suburb, gathering up men, women and children and terrorising those left behind. I’m sure this is only the beginning. There were reports of the Army finally paying attention to all the restricted zones in case they housed rebels. Apparently, they’re gunning them all to the ground in a bid to wipe out the rebellion before it even has a chance to mobilise. I suspect you’ll be having a visit soon enough, but I can’t say when. I don’t even know how much they know about you guys. But be prepared. It might be wise to look into somewhere to flee, should you be forced to run from here,” Andy said.
“So that was the shelling we heard a couple of nights ago. I wondered what that was. That isn’t good news at all. Anything else you can tell us?” Julian said.
“That’s about it. I don’t know their plan of attack. I didn’t know they were going to start attacking restricted zones until I heard it from some of the people we were helping. They could attack now, or tomorrow, or maybe even in a week’s time. I just don’t know,” Andy said.
“I’ll get onto it right away. I think that’s all for now. I’ve got too many things to do. Thanks for the information, Andy. I doubt we’d know about it if you hadn’t come here. You can go catch up with Hamish now,” Julian said.
“Glad to be of service. I’m ready and willing to fight beside you, should you need me,” Andy said, getting to his feet.
“Thanks. We need all the men we can get,” Julian said.
“Come on, Andy. Let’s get out of here,” Hamish said, tugging on Andy’s wrist.
“Alright, alright, seeya Julian. It seems I’m needed elsewhere,” Andy said with a laugh as Hamish pulled him out of Julian’s office.
“Oh, you are never leaving my sight again,” Hamish said as he pulled Andy back towards his room.
Hamish pulled Andy down onto the couch for yet another hug. He had quite given up hope of ever seeing him again, and now that he was back in his arms, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to let him go. Sure, Hamish loved Adam with all his heart, but his life just wasn't complete without Andy. Hamish pinned him down as he hugged him, not wanting to let him go.
“Don't you ever leave me again, okay?” Hamish said.
“I won't, not if I can help it,” Andy said. “God, I love you. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too. Hey, did… Did your scar itch or something? Cos mine did,” Hamish said.
“On my palm? Yeah, it did tingle a bit. I thought it was just stress or something,” Andy said.
“Mine itched really badly. I wondered if it was because I was missing you or something. It made me think of you all the time it was itching,” Hamish said.
“Perhaps we shared more than just our blood that afternoon,” Andy said.
“Perhaps we did. Sounds silly, doesn't it? Maybe we're both just imagining it,” Hamish said.
“Maybe we're just that close,” Andy said, meshing their fingers together as their scars met once more. He wasn't trying to be sappy, but Hamish meant the world to him. He hoped Hamish knew that.
“Whoa. Can you feel that heat as well?” Hamish said, surprised by the growing heat between their clasped palms.
“I can, yeah. Wow. You know I love you, don't you?” Andy said.
“Yeah, I know you do. I love you too. I'm quite sure I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you,” Hamish said.
“No, I mean it. I – love you. I know you love Adam, but I just… I don't know if I'll ever have another chance to tell you that, and I wanted you to know before the war comes,” Andy said.
“You love me? I never realised. You know I belong to Adam. I'm sorry,” Hamish said.
“I knew from when we were kids. But I knew you'd never be mine. Just know I love you completely, and that I would die to save your life. I've long accepted it wouldn't be reciprocated, but I thought it was time I actually told you,” Andy said.
Hamish sat up and looked down at him curiously. He wasn't sure what to say now. Now that he thought about it, he had suspected Andy was in love with someone, but somehow, he'd failed to realise it was him. He had to admit he was rather taken with Andy's admission. Suddenly, everything Andy had ever done for him seemed even more important.
“Have I freaked you out? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to,” Andy said.
“It's just… I honestly never realised you loved me that way. Have you really felt that way since we were kids?” Hamish said.
“I have, yes, ever since I cut those scars into our hands. In a way, it's a bond that surpasses love. You're everything to me. I can't live without you. But I don't feel jealous because you're with Adam, because I know you two love each other, and Adam would protect you with his life. That brings me comfort,” Andy said.
“How can you love me that much yet not be jealous?” Hamish said.
“Because I care more about you than I do about myself, and I know you're well loved and protected,” Andy said.
“So glad you came back. I really hated calling you like that, you know. Kinda glad you didn't answer though. I really would have fallen to pieces then and that wouldn't have been pretty,” Hamish said.
“Nah, I was too drunk to answer it in time so I stayed there listening to it. I never deleted it. I couldn't bring myself to delete it. I kept the tape in case my flat was searched. I was the one who fell to pieces. I sat there replaying that message, bawling my eyes out. I didn't want to let you go,” Andy said.
“Aww, that's so sweet. See, you do have a feminine side after all. I thought you did,” Hamish said, poking Andy in the ribs.
“Hey! I was really upset! I thought I'd never see you again,” Andy said, trying to reach up to tickle Hamish.
Hamish squirmed and tried to tickle back. Andy got the better of him and soon they were both rolling on the floor together, laughing as Andy tickled him. And when Andy caught his lips in a kiss, Hamish's resistance lasted mere nanoseconds before he gave in to Andy. Andy had Hamish pinned to the floor, not sure where his sudden urge to kiss him had come from. Hamish's lack of resistance spurred him on.
Soon, they lay there in each other's arms, exchanging soft kisses and gentle caresses, drowning in each other's company. Andy tenderly brushed some hair out of Hamish's eyes.
“I'm so glad you're here,” Hamish said again, lost for any other words to say to him.
“Me too. Sorry for the kisses. I hope you're not offended or anything,” Andy said.
“Nah, it's okay. If it was anyone else, I'd complain, but you, you can kiss me as much as you like. You're more than a friend, or a lover or anything else. Therefore you get special priviledges,” Hamish said with a wide grin.
“Does that make me more special than Adam then?” Andy said.
“As much as it pains me to say so, but yes. Because I can't live without you. I need you in a way I don't need Adam,” Hamish said, feeling a little regret for saying such things about his love, but he wouldn't lie to Andy.
Andy smile and kissed Hamish again, slower and lingering, a hand wrapping around behind Hamish's head and burying in his hair. Hamish holds him close, more content than he'd ever been before in his life. Now that Andy was here, everything would be fine.
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love it
Date: 2008-10-15 02:16 pm (UTC)I don't know if you've seen this video, but I think you'd appreciate it. It's not quite the Admish kiss, but it's still good :)
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=JvZOoV3PpTc
Re: love it
Date: 2008-10-15 02:23 pm (UTC)Aye, I have seen that. I laughed my arse off the first time I saw it. XD